Tuesday, December 2, 2014

From Farm Land to Major Development, Smith Has Seen Progress of Schilling Farms

By Daisy Fontaine- The Collierville Herald -

Schilling
Farms has a long and beautiful history, starting in 1929, when owner
Neal Schilling worked for Ford. Schilling delivered Ford vehicles to
Arkansas and his business was called Dealer’s Transport. The drivers had
to ride back home on the bus.

The
current president of Schilling Enterprises, Harry Smith, said Schilling
was one of the first to realize that flat beds were the best for
carrying the vehicles and this idea spread out from Memphis.

The
entrepreneur spread out and, in 1958, he became the owner of the first
Lincoln-Mercury dealership and his finances increased, an event that
caused him to start buying small farm tracts in Collierville in the
early ‘50's, which eventually became Schilling Farms.

At
this point Schilling decided he would become a Ford tractor
distributor, the first of his businesses which began on the farm. He
urged tractor dealers to come and see demonstrations. This was quite
lucrative until around 1962 when Ford bought the company out.

By
that time there were visitors walking around the farm -- Hereford
cattle. The cattle farm was taken care of by a Mississippi State
University graduate who was an excellent farm man. Another excellent
director had also arrived. Smith had come on the scene, keeping books,
directing the Dealers Transport, and generally seeing that things were
going right. There were two training centers, one in Georgia and another
in Texas, that were showing the tractors and other equipment.

Mr. Schilling had died sometime in 1970.

Smith
came to Memphis to stay around 1982. He had been president and CEO of
Schilling Farms for some time. “Five or six years ago Ford tractor was
merged with New Holland. Four years ago Fiat bought them out. We closed
the center here. We did it just at the right time,” he said.

The
right time for Smith was the time to stop and pray. A goodly amount of
Schilling Farms had been sold in tracts. Smith said, “Eleven or 12 years
ago I knew a long term plan was needed. We needed to sell it, hire some
people to help develop it or someone to joint venture with us - like
Boyle Investment. I’m thankful that I found them.

“I’ve
always considered this was God’s ground. I wanted the land to be used
in a way that God wanted, a real testimony where people can live, work,
play, go to school and church."

Smith
said he really wanted to have some authority. “A relationship with
Boyle popped up. It was good. We seemed to have the same thoughts.
Things began to go right,” he said.

Today
Schilling Farms has completed 30 single family homes, 600 apartment
units, 10 office buildings, including Helena Chemical Co.’s office
building, still in construction and the largest of the office buildings,
two restaurants and two churches. Life Church has bought 44 acres for
future expansion. Methodist Hospitals are preparing to build doctors’
offices and a hotel will be built on Schilling Farms this year, Smith
said.

“Bayard
Boyle mentioned to me once that the white fence should remain at
Schilling Farms and the mystique that goes with it. I can’t over
emphasize the relationship with Boyle Investment. We have enjoyed this
wonderful relationship that is making Schilling Farms so much as we
would have it.” Smith said.

Smith,
a quiet gentlemen who tries to study out the Godly way to do things,
was born in Florence, Ala., where he lived for 37 years. During those
years he was graduated from the University of North Alabama and became a
CPA. He worked 16 years in public accounting before coming to Memphis.
His family includes, his wife, Beth, and a daughter, Leslie, and her
husband Rex Jones, who is involved with Schilling Enterprises. The
Smiths have three grandchildren.